


Major Communications with Minor Results

by AlabasterMoonbeam



Series: Plus Size Sara Ryder [3]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Almost Kiss, Almost smut, Awkward Sara is Awkward, F/M, Flirting, Flirty Jaal, Flirty Sara, Fluff, Liam's Project, Naked Jaal, plus size
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-25 02:38:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10755018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlabasterMoonbeam/pseuds/AlabasterMoonbeam
Summary: Sara gets her jealous up.Liam messes with Jaal a bit.Jaal teases Sara.Sara dreams of Jaal.





	Major Communications with Minor Results

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my gosh, I had SO MUCH FUN writing this one. I really hope you guys like it. I'm trying to keep my Ryder as neutral as possible (not naming skin color, hair cut and color, eye color) so that you can super-impose your ideas in there :)
> 
> Also, please let me know what you would like to read. I am wanting to go with some fun & steamy smut, but if that is unwanted I won't worry about it! Let me know in comments!

Sara had been busy, though mostly on the Nexus. It seemed as if every time the team came to the station there was some new issue that required the Pathfinder. Running around, scanning, helping, assessing, liaising - Jaal felt that he rarely got to see her anymore. Oh, on the Tempest they spent small amounts of time together as well as surrounded by the rest of the team. Sometimes they were alone but never for enough time before someone either called on the comm or walked into the area. Each time someone interrupted them, Jaal wanted to roar his frustration. The last time they’d had any real time together, he’d asked her for the reason behind why she was touching him and the answer...surprised him

“Um, well, when you mentioned researching bioelectricity before,” Jaal flushed with shame as he recalled his words, but Sara continued, “I took your advice. Lexi had some papers that the angara on Aya gave her that she let me read. One thing I noticed was how important bioelectricity is in angara communication. The article mentioned that the current can be used in all sorts of nonverbal expressions. Just the fact that angara are able to communicate on such an… intimate level without saying a word, it’s incredible!” Jaal was pleased and impressed that Sara had taken a scathing, sarcastic comment meant to hurt her and used it to learn more about his species. His embarrassment about the interaction was still palpable to him. Clearing his throat, he apologized.  
“Sara, I am sorry for what I said and how I said it. I am not...like my siblings. They all are accomplished in many ways, skilled and knowledgeable. Most of them have known for a very long time what they want in life and know how to achieve it.” Jaal sighed, admitting something aloud that he did not like, “I am not like them.”  
What he didn’t say - what he didn’t say so loudly that Sara still heard the echo of the unspoken words - was: ‘I am not like my siblings because I am not skilled or knowledgeable. I am different and undesirable.’ That echo made it easy for Sara to say, “Thank you, Jaal. I accept your apology and you are forgiven.” Then Jaal gasped as she laid her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes, sincerity shimmering in her gaze.

Sitting in the sun on Aya, Sara blushed, thinking of the implications of just how intimately the bioelectricity could really be used. She could only equate the idea to how she felt when she brushed against Jaal, touched him intentionally, or when he initiated contact: her skin buzzed, her heart raced, and she felt as though she was somehow more than alive. The idea that he could use that feeling to bring pleasure to his partner was… interesting, to say the least. Lost in thought at the idea of his hands clutching at her body, bioelectricity and need running deep to her core, Sara was startled out of her reverie by an angaran’s voice.  
“They should put Jaal on every Resistance recruitment poster. Did he ever contact you?”  
“No... that man is impervious to flirtation.”  
The women’s conversation faded from earshot, then came back.  
“I hear he had a thing for the Repository’s curator. Never went anywhere…” The voices faded again, then-  
“So...Jaal’s available.”  
A rushing filled Sara’s ears. Who was she? This woman who thought that she could take Jaal away from - SAM broke into that thought.  
“Pathfinder, you know, Jaal is happy on the Tempest, yes?”  
Sara sucked in a deep breath, forcing her hands to relax before answering. “Yes, SAM, I know.”  
“Then why are you so concerned about idle gossip?” SAM was getting to be too good at asking questions they both knew the answer to. Pointing out to her that she was worried, that she was jealous, was frustrating. It meant she had to face those facts, too.  
“Yes,” SAM continued, “That is why I do it. You need to be self-aware as a Pathfinder. Besides, I believe that Jaal is not interested in anyone on Aya.” SAM left that statement hanging. Still unsure what she was admitting to, beyond caring for a member of her team, Sara stood and called the group back to the Tempest.

After learning that Sara had been making an effort to better connect with him, Jaal wanted to better connect with her, too. He considered the last time he’d invited her into the techlab with the intention to connect and it struck him, as his True Mother had pointed out, that he had left so much to chance. Wanting to make sure Sara was comfortable, as well as ensure his success, he set forth a course of action. Using the same attention to detail he used in tinkering, he made every effort to make this a better, more successful meeting. Sara was important and he wanted to have her near. Earlier he had heard Drack talking to Liam, the two of them discussing Sara’s abilities as Pathfinder, her skills in battle, and her unspoken need for support. Drack had smacked Liam hard on the arm and said that he knew just the thing. The conversation had broken up shortly after, and Liam asked Jaal to help him with a project. Jaal was looking forward to this “cultural exchange,” as Liam had dubbed it. He had noticed how the other members of the team insulted each other and, with only two exceptions, seemed to take it in stride, building them into a close-knit unit. One exception was Jaal himself, a deficiency soon to be rectified, while the other was between Peebee and Lexi. Jaal had his own feelings about it, and knew where he placed the most blame, but unless asked for his opinion (an event he did not see in the future), he was leaving them to their own troubles. About to meet with Liam, Jaal sent a short email to Sara, asking if she would meet with him the next day, so he could show her a modification he was working on for his kett rifle.

Jaal and Liam had been working on understanding how the other approached battle, what insults were too far, and the reasons, purposes, and importance of different parts of human society. As Liam explained different aspects of how to shit-talk each other, Jaal couldn’t help but notice that, despite what he and Liam were covering, there was a glaring blind spot Liam had in his theory. While shit-talking was all well and good, Jaal had noticed that Liam and Vetra certainly weren’t friendly in their interactions. In fact, Liam was downright hostile, leaving Vetra to a prickly defensiveness. Deciding now was not the time to point this out to his friend, but vowing to later, Jaal stripped out of his armor and vestments. Liam was sending a short email, with a very suspicious look on his face, before turning to him and continuing their discussion.  
“Patch on your pauldron?” Liam asked.  
“Family honorific.”  
“Well, Liam, I got your message about your project going well, wanna fill me iiiiii- *cough* fill me in?” Sara walked in, eyes on a datapad before she looked up and saw Liam and Jaal, eyes going wide as she stuttered and finished her thought.  
“Hey, Pathfinder,” Liam said, not quite meeting her eye.  
Admittedly, Sara recovered quickly, “Hah, is this for my benefit? ‘Cause I am definitely benefitting,” Sara’s gazed flitted over Liam’s bare chest before settling appreciatively on Jaal.  
“Haha. Convenience. Swapping armor,” Liam replied enigmatically, before turning back to Jaal and the task at hand, “Can I wear the poncho?”  
“It’s a Rofjinn, and no.”  
“Why? Is it religious?” Liam seemed to be intentionally pushing Jaal’s buttons.  
“It’s personal; you’re not allowed.” Jaal wasn’t angry, though, at least as far as Sara could see.  
“Because of status or species?” Sara was captivated, trying to focus on the conversation but instead her eyes and mind were roving over Jaal’s body, greedily drinking in the colors and hues of his skin, the way the light shone off of the strange planes of his chest. She admired the strength in his shoulders, the musculature of his back, and the narrow tapering of his stomach to-- No! Not looking there, not right now! She blushed as her attention returned to the discussion between the two men.  
Jaal was telling Liam that he couldn’t wear the rofjinn because of both reasons, before Liam changed subjects, “Do all humans look alike?”  
“Some of you sound alike.”  
Sara had to say something, “Guys, stop! I know how this goes: someone gets offended and someone else gets punched.”  
“That is why we are doing this here?” Jaal sounded amused.  
“Armor swap for answers,” Liam stated, “Stuff the diplomats won’t ask.”  
“My turn was earlier,” Jaal volunteered this information happily, “The packets left a lot out.”  
Sara covered her eyes, trying to remain focused.  
“Was this not sanctioned?” Jaal looked at Liam. He knew now why he’d looked so suspicious earlier: he’d set this up to have Sara see them like this.  
“You weasling little adhi.” Liam stated without venom.  
“Nevertheless,” Jaal, still completely naked, brushed by Sara, “Ryder.”  
His voice sounded seductive and playful at the same time. It sent shivers down her spine and left heat pooling in her core. Every fiber in her being piled in to keep her from following him just to keep looking.  
“Liam?”

Hearing the hiss of the doors close, Jaal relaxed a bit. Seeing the loose pants he had earlier, sweatpants as Liam had called them, he pulled them on before going back to the techlab. Passing Peebee as he went, he saw her own gaze scanning him, sizing him up, and seeming to think that she liked what she saw. Averting his eyes, he sighed as the doors to the techlab shut and he heard the lock engage. That was a strange experience. The discussion with Liam had been enlightening, filling in many of the gaps left by the “official documents.” It was enlightening, and gratifying, to see the unmasked interest and desire in Sara’s expression when she looked at him There had been embarrassment there, too, but he wasn’t going to focus on that. Sara wanted him. For now, that was enough. It meant that they were moving forward. Who would have thought that the idea of Sara wanting him would make him this pleased? Certainly not Jaal. When he started this mission it was expressly to change venue, maybe shake up Evfra’s views of his value to the Resistance, and keep an eye on these new aliens. Now, however, he was… what? In love with one of the aliens? Certainly not. But… he was interested in her. It had been a long time since he cared what a woman thought of him, if a woman wanted him. Something to ponder, anyway.

Sara knocked on the door to the techlab the next day. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself. Yesterday she had completely oogled Jaal, blatantly and without any subtlety. Now she was going to go see his equipment - erm! No! He was playing with his - nope! She shook her head hard. There was a mod for the kett rifle he used in combat that he wanted to show her. That was all. The door hissed open and there was Jaal, clothed this time (damn, part of Sara thought), looking pleased. He pulled a chair close to his and motioned her to sit down. As she sat, the perfumes in the oils he used wafted over her, filling her mind with sensual delights, making her think of exotic spices and warm candlelight. He wasn’t playing fair. Settling in, trying to make more room between her chubby body and Jaal’s stronger one, Jaal began to explain the different purposes of the modifications, pointing out small details. When she tried to see things better, he seemed offended that she wanted to hold the rifle.

Still too far away, Jaal forced Sara to lean into him to see what she wanted, rather than let her hold the rifle to see the modifications. He was torn between wanting to move slowly, give them both time to understand what was happening, and wanting to grab her, pull her onto his lap and lose himself in her soft, lush body. Just being this close, smelling her, watching her, seeing the way her hair moved as she looked at him, made him want to pull her to him. That was unusual. Angara as a species didn’t have, as Liam had put it, “one night stands.” While there were some who were more inclined to that, most angara needed the emotional element of a partnership before they even felt remotely like he was feeling now. That thought brought Jaal up short. He had never wanted a fling before, and as he thought of Sara, he knew in his bones that something transient and temporary was not going to be enough. At the very least, he needed to see this through. He had been adding to his list: curious, daring, brave, courageous. He had also found a dictionary/thesaurus combination datapad that expanded the words he used to describe Sara’s physicality.   
Rubenesque.   
Voluptuous.   
Zaftig.   
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how glorious her rounded body was. Not that it would matter; her body could be like one of those elcor he’d read about, but if her personality were the same, the level of determination to learn and see and do, he’d still be interested in her. As it was, however, Jaal leaned a bit into her generous-ness, lifting his arm to encompass her soft body, and pulled her into him. Placing his hand on her soft upper arm, he heard her sigh. Unconsciously, Sara relaxed into him, her head leaning on his shoulder. Jaal began to explain one of the mods, diligently working to enjoy every moment that she was settled in his arms.

It was late. Sara was asleep, dreaming, her covers discarded, one hand in her hair, the other resting on the soft curve of her lower belly. Against the backdrop of the galaxy around her, Jaal’s nude form was in front of her, his strong arms trembling as she caressed his musculature, his strange, enticing chest, and ran down the tapering ridges on his back. Her breasts pressed into him, making her groan, her fingers delicately massaging the flaps and ridges on his head, his head tipping back in pleasure before he brought his face level with hers, his hands running softly through her hair, across her skin, over her body. He leaned down, she yearned up, their bodies were pressed together and their lips were about to-

Sara gasped and woke up. Damn it. A dream. Her body was damp with perspiration and desire and she was out of breath. What a hell of a dream; her skin was pulsing with sensitivity. Groaning, she grabbed her covers, shifted onto her side, and tried to fall back asleep. It wasn’t easy.


End file.
